Leadership in the Law: Take the Leadership Reins and Drive to Accomplish

Take a Step; Take the Lead

I often enounter chagrin about how one is unable to get things done at his or her firm. Things like, “our managing partner won't let us move forward with client interviews,” or “our executive committee doesn't want to fight with the rainmakers about client teams,” or “I can't get the budget approval to do xyz.”

Sometimes you need to take the reins and figure out another route to your goals. Don't try to make something a firm-wide initiative if the firm itself is going to get in the way. In the end, you will be held accountable for not getting them where they needed to go. You will be compared to others who are making progress. Instead, use your sociability, determination and confidence to forge ahead with a micro-project that may then be a foundation from which a larger initiative may sprout.

Here's an example. Instead of trying to launch a firm-wide client feedback program, meet with a partner whom you know is a team player, is open to ideas and has clout within the firm. Discuss the approach you'd like to take with a client of his and make sure you have examples of how this works, why it's important and how other firms have been very successful strengthening their client retention goals through this process. Work with this partner to conduct a client feedback meeting with his or her client and then move on to the next potential partner and client opportunity.

With a few of these under your belt, you have some examples to present as groundwork for a larger client feedback campaign. Take a moment and think about any project you'd like to accomplish and two or three micro-projects that could be alternatives to the larger project. Then take a leadership role in making it happen. Leadership involves people as well.

Lead and Others Will Follow

It is truly astounding that one of the key traits leaders often lack and what prevents them from being at the top of the great leaders list is integrity. By that I mean, not taking credit for other's work; providing opportunities for others to provide you with feedback about your role as a manager/leader; taking the hit for the team instead of blaming others; assuring those who report to you that you have their back and then walking the talk on these and more. If you lose credibility as a leader it is often here. Being honest and trustworthy is not always easy or fun, but it will always be valued and respected in your organization and by those to whom you report. Behaving in a manner that is observable by others will cause others to behave in a similar manner ' hopefully favorably.

As one savvy CMO recently put it, “the fish rots from the head.” While rather graphic, it does make the point. I'd like to think of it in a more positive way ' the flowers gain their strength from the roots up. Ronald Heifetz, one of the most prominent experts on leadership, said, “leadership is easy when everything is going well.” How true! It's when leaders have to step up to the task at hand or lead in a difficult environment or take the heat for something gone wrong that really challenges your strength and skill as a leader.

Again, think of simple ways you will demonstrate your leadership traits and set expectations for your team. Conduct 360 feedback on an annual basis and provide the same for your team so you are fostering a healthy environment. Encourage others to take leadership roles for their projects and help them develop their confidence and skills. Strong leaders are developed and work hard at perfecting their roles. We have a surplus of people in the legal industry who are put into leadership roles at all levels of the firm and who have opportunities to develop and grow. Those who do focus on their development rise to the top and are known for their leadership.

Seek out professional development if you are one of those leaders, and develop your style. If you are a manager and seek a director role, think about what you need to do to demonstrate your value as a future leader and work toward that goal. Those in leadership roles don't make the mistake of thinking you can lead just because you have a leadership role or a title. You'll only fool yourself! Good leaders work hard at perfecting their skills and earning the respect of others, and you can too.

Silvia L. Coulter, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is a Principal with LawVision Group and assists firms with client retention, client growth and new business development strategies. She may be reached at [email protected] or 978-526-8316.

It's no secret that many organizations may suffer from the lack of a strong leader; some law firms included. While not as easy as it would be with a strong leader backing you and a clearly defined course ahead of you, taking the lead from your vantage point at the firm is not only possible but something that would be a missed opportunity if you didn't jump on it. Everyone can lead from their seat in the firm. It takes skill, followers and self-awareness. Let's start with skill.

Leadership Traits

Peter G. Northouse. in his book “Leadership,” reports there are five key traits which emerged after an extensive study of leadership traits and characteristics. Those traits are:

• Intelligence ' including verbal ability, perceptual ability and reasoning ability.
• Self-confidence ' certainty about one's competencies.
• Determination ' desire to get the job done: initiative, persistence, dominance and drive; willingness to assert oneself.
• Integrity ' honesty and trustworthiness; adherence to a strong set of principles; take responsibility for one's actions.
• Sociability ' friendly, outgoing, courteous, tactful and diplomatic; sensitive to others' needs and show concern for others' well-being; good interpersonal skills; create cooperative relationships.

It's worth the time to take an assessment of yourself against the traits of leadership and to be honest about where the gaps may exist. As an aside, Northouse's book provides assessment tools and analytics, insight into many other factors and qualities of strong leaders and is an excellent resource for one's professional development. From my viewpoint, if you have a team of people for whom you are responsible, you are in a leadership role and have a unique opportunity to inspire others and develop your own leadership style.

Take a Step; Take the Lead

I often enounter chagrin about how one is unable to get things done at his or her firm. Things like, “our managing partner won't let us move forward with client interviews,” or “our executive committee doesn't want to fight with the rainmakers about client teams,” or “I can't get the budget approval to do xyz.”

Sometimes you need to take the reins and figure out another route to your goals. Don't try to make something a firm-wide initiative if the firm itself is going to get in the way. In the end, you will be held accountable for not getting them where they needed to go. You will be compared to others who are making progress. Instead, use your sociability, determination and confidence to forge ahead with a micro-project that may then be a foundation from which a larger initiative may sprout.

Here's an example. Instead of trying to launch a firm-wide client feedback program, meet with a partner whom you know is a team player, is open to ideas and has clout within the firm. Discuss the approach you'd like to take with a client of his and make sure you have examples of how this works, why it's important and how other firms have been very successful strengthening their client retention goals through this process. Work with this partner to conduct a client feedback meeting with his or her client and then move on to the next potential partner and client opportunity.

With a few of these under your belt, you have some examples to present as groundwork for a larger client feedback campaign. Take a moment and think about any project you'd like to accomplish and two or three micro-projects that could be alternatives to the larger project. Then take a leadership role in making it happen. Leadership involves people as well.

Lead and Others Will Follow

It is truly astounding that one of the key traits leaders often lack and what prevents them from being at the top of the great leaders list is integrity. By that I mean, not taking credit for other's work; providing opportunities for others to provide you with feedback about your role as a manager/leader; taking the hit for the team instead of blaming others; assuring those who report to you that you have their back and then walking the talk on these and more. If you lose credibility as a leader it is often here. Being honest and trustworthy is not always easy or fun, but it will always be valued and respected in your organization and by those to whom you report. Behaving in a manner that is observable by others will cause others to behave in a similar manner ' hopefully favorably.

As one savvy CMO recently put it, “the fish rots from the head.” While rather graphic, it does make the point. I'd like to think of it in a more positive way ' the flowers gain their strength from the roots up. Ronald Heifetz, one of the most prominent experts on leadership, said, “leadership is easy when everything is going well.” How true! It's when leaders have to step up to the task at hand or lead in a difficult environment or take the heat for something gone wrong that really challenges your strength and skill as a leader.

Again, think of simple ways you will demonstrate your leadership traits and set expectations for your team. Conduct 360 feedback on an annual basis and provide the same for your team so you are fostering a healthy environment. Encourage others to take leadership roles for their projects and help them develop their confidence and skills. Strong leaders are developed and work hard at perfecting their roles. We have a surplus of people in the legal industry who are put into leadership roles at all levels of the firm and who have opportunities to develop and grow. Those who do focus on their development rise to the top and are known for their leadership.

Seek out professional development if you are one of those leaders, and develop your style. If you are a manager and seek a director role, think about what you need to do to demonstrate your value as a future leader and work toward that goal. Those in leadership roles don't make the mistake of thinking you can lead just because you have a leadership role or a title. You'll only fool yourself! Good leaders work hard at perfecting their skills and earning the respect of others, and you can too.

Silvia L. Coulter, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is a Principal with LawVision Group and assists firms with client retention, client growth and new business development strategies. She may be reached at [email protected] or 978-526-8316.